Saturday, May 31, 2008

The husband is back! We got him from the airport last night, and all is well. Today we are going to take the kids on a picinic, a hike, and then they'll play in the water fountains at this county park. It's going to be a great day. Who knows? We may even get the computer fixed today. Cross your fingers for us!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Everyone here must secretly be working for the government because everywhere I go, I am asked for my South Carolina Driver's License and heaven help the person that doesn't have one. They must get a secret stipend from the government every time they refer someone to the DMV. "You MUST have a South Carolina Driver's License!" they say, with one hand in the air, the other across their heart, and with a flip of the head and a roll of their eyes, I feel like I'm in the middle of a religious movement! My goodness! Relax. It's not like I don't have a license! It's valid. The picture is still quite complimentary. It just happens to be from another state. (GASP!)

So finally I went in today to get it switched over. I can't get my kids enrolled for school next year without it, and frankly, I need them in school! Last week when I was at the library, I found out where the closest DMV was, found out what I needed to bring, and so I planned for today to be the day.

I got up early and got the kids ready. I know from experience about government businesses. My time is definitely not of importance to them. I didn't want to wait around all day. Anyway, I gathered all my documents: Social Security card, birth certificate, current license, and current electric bill to show proof of residency. That's it. Good to go.

I got the kids buckled up in the van and got myself situated, put the key in the ignition and......

NOTHING.

Darn it all. The battery is dead. I looked up, and noticed the overhead light is on. One of my kids is in a lot of trouble!! This is the third time in a month this has happened. Both times previously, Heath was right there. Today, he was not.

So I put the car in neutral, pushed it out of the garage, wiggled Heath's car perpendicular to the van in the driveway, and popped the hoods. I spent the next few minutes going back and forth between vehicles, adjusting the jumper cables, starting the cars, revving the cars, getting them unhooked and back in an appropriate parking position, and then heading out to the DMV.

I was quite pleased with myself, since it was the first time I had jump started a car completely by myself!!

When I got to the DMV, I walked up to the lady and told her I was new to the state and needed a new drivers license. She then asked me questions like she was challenging me. "Did you bring your birth certificate?" I answered yes with a smile on my face. "Did you bring your social security card?" Again, yes (still smiling). "Did you bring your marriage certificate?" Uh...(trying to smile). Apparently, even though I have my social security card with my married name, it is different than my birth certificate. Therefore, they need to show the document that changed my name. Now, didn't I already do that when I got my new social security card? What about my current license? That has my married name on it too. I've also got a military ID. They don't just give anybody one of those without wanting your whole history and about three different types of bodily fluids. Good grief! It's already in the system Lady!! But, apparently because South Carolina has such state pride, they need to see the evidence for themselves. So with an annoying glance back at the lady, and biting my tongue so I don't tell her that her makeup job really sucks, I get the kids back in the car, go back home (which isn't just a jaunt down the street), get the dang marriage certificate, almost lock my keys in the house, drive back to the DMV, and when she sees me, she asks (somewhat mockingly) "Got it all, this time?"I bite my tongue in an effort not to speak my mind about her makeup again.

I was pleasantly surprised, however, when it only took about 30 minutes (and 25 bucks) to have my new license, still warm, in my hands.

Long live South Carolina Pride! (said with the utmost respect and sarcasm)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Life goes on. I am learning that. It's probably good that I am doing other things; or so I keep telling myself.I made an apron!! I had a few questions in some areas but after a few phone calls, I was able to understand the instructions. It's cute. Too bad you can't see it.

Kolby has a real problem getting into food. His excuse is always "But I am hungry, momma!" I wish he would understand that if he only ate the meals and snacks I give him, then he wouldn't be so hungry! It is really getting to me! Kolby has his little hiding spots where he takes his stolen food. He's clever, but predictable. So yesterday, after making cookies and giving some to the kids, I walked in the kitchen to put another batch in the oven and found some of the cookies missing. I looked, and found Kolby hiding behind the couches, looking proudly stubborn. I made him give me back the cookies. Guess where he had them? Crumbled and smooshed in his front pocket, just like Napoleon Dynamite had with his (tater) tots. I tried not to laugh. I talked to him again, rather sternly, about stealing food and how it makes me really sad. "Why do you steal food??" His reply was rather point-blank. "Because I am Kolby, momma!"

Well, I guess I can't argue that.

So Heath and I have tried very hard to get the computer working. He has called me at night and walked me through a few things. None of them worked. We think it's hopeless. It's really too bad.

In the meantime, I am limited to my library visits. Or rather, the kids are limiting me. We can only last so long being respectfully quiet in the library. I read two books in two days. I think the next step is cleaning my house from top to bottom.

This Memorial Day weekend had me thinking about last year at this time. We had gone camping with three other families for the weekend. We went to a place in California that we hadn't camped at before. It was lots of fun, but apparently I was allergic to the entire campground or something. My throat closed up as soon as we got there and I lost my voice. My eyes started itching and watering and one of them got really puffy and closed up. Also, at this time, I was wearing my glasses in preparation for my Lasik surgery that I was getting the following week. Turns out, because of that allergic reaction, I had to postpone that surgery three more weeks. I was so bummed.

So, those of you that are camping this weekend, have a great time. I hope you don't get any reactions. Gas prices jumped up from my last post. It's not at 3.81/gallon. If you travel, hope it's not too far! See ya on the flip side.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

I hate that I don't have my computer working!! Not even for the internet. It seems like everything I do revolves around the computer. I can't scrapbook, because I print off my own pictures. I can't type up my recipes (which is what I was in the middle of doing) because my computer won't turn on. I can't do my blog, check my bank balance, see what netflix is sending me, or check my email. I can't find where a store is or call vonage to see why my sister's number won't go through. I can't do anything!!

I will keep u all posted on her lifes happenings. It wont be as exciting as Shainas but its better than nothing. Today she is going to get the kids out of the house and playing at a park that has a water fountain. Then off to the library for some reading fun. Later she is going to a hot dog eating contest. For those of u who dont know Shaina absolutely loves these!!!! Have a fun day ya'll!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I have always wanted to write a book. Always. I wish I had taken some publishing classes in college. I have two children's books written, (geared toward 5 year olds) but they really need an illustration to make them great. I have no idea how to submit. I've done a bit of research, but I really want to submit it with the illustrations. I am no artist! At least, not an illustrator.

The reason why I am babbling on, is that I really feel a pull to do something about this. Maybe I should try a young adult book...I don't know. My mom and sister have told me I should write a book about being a mom and all the crazy experiences you go through. But if I keep this blog up, there'd be no reason to buy the book! Everyone could read everything here.

Sorry. Just something on my mind right now. Do there happen to be any children's book Publisher's that read my blog? I think I'm looking for the easy road instead of diving into the world of rejected authors. I don't want to be rejected.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

I was just playing around with a new blog format and title. Those of you who know me well know I can't leave my furniture in one place for too long, and that mentality definitely transfers over to my blog. Needed to change things up. It may stay. It may not. Just messing around.

For my new blog audience, the poster in the blog title was given to me by my sister as a joke; she was re-creating one of my birthday presents from my youth. It's a poster about having self-confidence. But, alas, it is part of me, and it's the reason I named my blog Just Because I am Me.

Today marks the first day of what Heath's job is going to be like for a while. Part of his job requires travel; up to 50% of the time. So he leaves today. He'll be gone for two weeks, home a week, gone for three weeks, home a week or so, then gone again....

So yesterday we spent the day together as a family. We started off watching the new Narnia movie "Prince Caspian". The kiddos really liked it. We found this theater about 10 minutes away that has ticket prices around 2 dollars. I loved that it cost us 13 bucks as a family, to watch a movie. Of course, we loaded up our backpack with chocolate and popcorn so we could thoroughly enjoy the movie theater experience. The kids loved the movie.

George fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we waited until she woke up and then we went to Texas Roadhouse to eat dinner. Carolann made a post about this place on her blog, so I knew it was good. We were not disappointed! The rolls and honey cinamon butter were fabulous! I filled up on those and saved most of my Chicken Fried Chicken meal to take home with me. Heath and Kamy had the ribs and they fell in love. Kamy had bbq sauce EVERYWHERE! She is by far our messiest eater. Wish my little camera wasn't broken or we would have taken pictures of her. What a sight. I think Margarite might change her mind about her favorite corner BBQ place if she were to eat at Texas Roadhouse. If you have one in your area, I would totally encourage you to go. You won't be sorry. When we were loading up our to-go boxes, Keaton tried to pack up the big knives and forks they give you. "Can we take the knives, too?" No!! After he asked that, he then said "I have to go number two!" Good thing it was a noisy place. Not too many people heard him...I think.

When we got home, we were so stuffed! But we couldn't end the night just yet. We decided to have a Wii tournament. We each played every game against the computer, and tallied our results. Heath won first place in Golf, getting three holes under par. I won tennis (to which Heath very definitely wants a recount!) Kamy blew us all away with her 190 bowling score, Keaton got the furthest homerun in baseball, Kolby got the award for most putts in golfing, and George got best cheerleader award. We had a great time together.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I'm hoping to use these next few weeks to get a lot accomplished while Heath is gone; and maybe since Heath is gone, he will actually comment on my blog! Love ya babe. We all miss you.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Yes. That would be George's hair today. I won't make a descriptive phrase about how I felt about her little field trips to the bathroom yesterday.

1st offense: George stowed away in the bathroom sink and smeared desitin (what is the fascination with desitin?) all over her hair. She didn't put a bit of it on her face. Went straight for the hair. Not the best decision, in my book. What was I doing? Trying to make her lunch.

Number of washings: 8. Started out with the mechanic soap right from the start and it still took 8 washings.

2nd offense: George went in the other bathroom, got cozy in the sink again, and this time made her hair pretty using the antibacterial foaming hand soap. Nice choice if you want the sheen as opposed to the matte look the desitin gave her. Good smell too. Exotic coconut. No picture this time. I was too mad. What was I doing? Cleaning the upstairs bathroom (the one the little boys use most...need I say more?)

Number of washings: Just three this time, although there was a lot more yelling.

3rd offense: George went into the same bathroom (after I had locked it) and got out the toothpaste this time. Guess she wanted a little more color. This was by far, the biggest saturation she had managed. What was I doing? Vacuuming the house. Shame on me.

Number of washings: 6. And not a cavity to be found.

All this in one afternoon. How would you have handled it? Today, her hair is grimy. I just couldn't get everything out. You'd think she learned her lesson because of her hatred for having her hair rinsed again and again. But today, I caught her just in time as she was anxiously holding the desitin tube again. I am about at the end of my limit!! I've had this terrible sinus infection/cold/allergies thing going on the past week. Bending over to bathe her made the sinus pressure unbearable, not to mention the one plugged nostril and the other one that is a continuous drip...not too much fun when you spend your day bending over the bathtub.

Anyone want a two year old for a while? She is really good at being two... Right now she is playing with scissors right next to me. (relax! she's cutting paper) If she went for her hair, I don't think I would be too upset.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Alright, so I think I'm officially bored. And because I am bored, I transfer that act of boredom over to my personality, in which, I am now completely boring. And because I am boring, I cannot come up with a fun post for ya'll.

Hmm...boring...bore...snore...More? No thanks.

I really don't know what I am doing. I'm going to ruin the totally fun, outgoing, creative, and sometimes a little too informative persona I have happening for me that I've worked so hard to manipulate for you.

So do you want to hear a story from my childhood? Perhaps a love-gone-bad relationship I've had? How 'bout something that I can laugh about now, but years ago it was tortuous? Well....I'm trying to think of one to tell you, but my mind is a blank. See? I'm totally boring.

Kolby has been tagged a few times by his friends, so here are seven things about him.

1. Kolby is constantly moving. This kid has so much energy! If I followed him around everyday and did exactly what he did, I would be a size zero! He rides his bike faster than Kamy and Keaton. He can hit a baseball so hard and so far! He sword fights with his light sabers, sticks, wooden spoons, hair brushes, and anything else he can get his hands on. He loved playing in the snow in Utah! Bottom line: He never sits still unless we force him to.

2. He loves it when Daddy comes home! They wrestle and play and he has a blast with his Daddy. They go out on runs together; they ride their bikes together; they have little outings to the store together. He really loves being with Daddy.

3. Every morning, without fail, he tells me "You are beautiful momma!" or "You are so pretty momma!" He is really very sweet. He tries really hard to be good for me when we have to run our errands, and he always asks "Was I the bestest boy today, momma?" And always, he wants me to give him a high-5.

4. He loves to take pictures. I often find random pictures from him hijacking my camera. Many of the pictures I post are from Kolby. He's not half bad of a photographer!

5. Kolby's favorite songs are Scripture Power and Follow the Prophet. He sings them all the time (especially when we are at the library!) and he makes up words to the songs so he can sing more verses.

6. Kolby still remembers last summer when we went Jet-skiing with our friends. He always tells me "Momma, I'm gonna buy you a jet ski when I grow up. And I'll buy Daddy one too. Then we can all go out and go super fast on the water!" The other day, he saw one being pulled by a truck, and he about flipped out! He was so excited to see one. "That's the one that I'm gonna buy you, momma!!"

7. Kolby loves to go diving in the bathtub. He never plugs his nose and he hardly closes his eyes and mouth. It's like he was born to be under the water. He just submerges himself and goes "diving for stuff". When we were at the beach, he did the same thing. This kid loves to be in the water.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Well, since summer is coming up, I thought I'd give you a great picinic salad recipe. This is one I got from a collection of Taste of Homes recipe book. We had it last week and I couldn't get enough of it. I normally lean more towards potato salads, but this one was so yummy.

Whenever I go to Olive Garden, I always get their Zuppa Toscana soup. It's a heavenly blend of sausage, potatoes, bacon, broth, and cream. So delicious. I've been making this recipe at home for a few years. It's super easy. Enjoy. (disclaimer...this is not my own picture. Mine looks better!)

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb Italian sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup precooked bacon

2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

Enough water to cover potatoes 1/2 inch

3 chicken bullion cubes

pepper to taste

One bunch of Kale

1/2 cup heavy cream

Brown sausage and garlic and onion. Remove from pan. Add potatoes and cover with water. Add bullion cube. Boil until tender. Add sausage mixture back to pot. Add pepper and heavy cream. Heat through and then remove from heat. Add chopped kale. Serve.

See! I told you it was easy. This soup tastes so so so good. I hope you will try it.

Friday, May 9, 2008

I realize that would be a terrible blog post if it had to do with anything other than potty-training! But we are very excited around here tonight. After sitting again and again on the potty all week long, but NEVER giving me so much as a tinkle to whoop and holler about, tonight...she did it! Oh what a grand parade we had around the house after Georgie pooped. I am so proud.

It is just us girls here tonight. Heath and the boys had a father/son camp out. It only goes until noon tomorrow, but I encouraged them to stay as long as the day would allow. We'll see what time they get home. I might take the girls out in the morning...we'll see. It's been a nice night. At dinner, kamy said "It sure is quiet around here!" I couldn't agree more.

After dinner, we went to a friend's house (her husband and son went camping too) and the girls watched a barbie movie and we talked. I made guacamole and we just ate and ate and ate. I really am quite expanded right now...lol.

So now I'm going to go to bed, and lie across the entire bed. Just because I can. (I'm sure it won't be too long before I can't sleep because he's not there next to me.) Catch ya'll later.

Wednesday night Kamy had an Achievement Days activity and all the moms were supposed to go. We received an invitation to come, and when we got there, the daughters escorted us to our seats, got us a refreshing drink ("it's got ice cream floating in the top, momma!") and they had a little program where they said nice things about their moms.

Kamy said:

"I appreciate my mom because she cooks for me and she is nice to me.

She buys me stuff. She helps with my homework.

She helps me to look pretty."

Then she game me the note with all that written on it, as well as a picture she drew of me.

Then after a bowl of tasty fruit salad, they cleared the tables and had the girl's paint our nails. Kamy chose the color and, uh, artfully painted my hand/nails. She actually didn't do too bad for her first time. I just smiled and told her what a good job she was doing. I still haven't removed the nail polish, although it is driving me crazy. I don't like nail polish on my fingernails. Anyway, after she did mine, I did hers. She wanted blue sparkly nail polish. When it was still wet, she just had to go to the bathroom, so most of it got wiped off, but here is a picture of our snazzy new nails.

Then, yesterday, Keaton came home with a cookbook made by the kindergardeners. Each kid contributed their own recipe. This is Keaton's:

Chocolate Chip Cookies, by Keaton

"Get 5 sqirts of whipped cream, then put 1 carrot and 7 chocolate chips and put it in a spinny bowl. Stir it with a spoon. You just put it in the oven for 30 minutes. I usually like to eat chocolate chip cookies because they are tasty. Mmm mmm mmm!"

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Well, my blog has had almost 10,000 visitors since I started it in August. I think that is very cool. (and that does NOT count all my countless visits to my own blog) I'm thinking of some way to celebrate it, but I welcome your ideas. What should I do?

I haven't posted in a few days because I feel like I am boring you guys. I do this blog for me, but I also do it for you. I want to entertain as well as have all of you know me better. Anyway, I think I've been boring myself with the blog. I need to come up with something more interesting to talk about. So I'm going to work on that.

And to leave you with a little picture, the other day Kamy wanted me to take her picture with her standing over me, and she said "This is how I will look when I'm old like you, momma!"

Monday, May 5, 2008

This kid refuses to eat if he doesn't want to. It doesn't matter what we do to make dinnertime intriguing for him. It doesn't matter that we promise him dessert if he finishes his dinner. It doesn't matter if we all eat, clean up, and leave the room. He still won't budge. If he doesn't want it, nobody can do a thing about it. Now, sometimes, he goes wild for the dinner I'm making. He loves tacos and Parmesan chicken and sausage and eggs. Other times, if he's not sure, he'll ask "Momma, did I love this before?" I always say "Yes", even if it's something he has never had. Why jinx things?

Oh, but he sure can sneak food if he is hungry. It doesn't matter the punishment he gets. If he wants something, he'll do it and accept the consequences. STUBBORN! Now where did he get that from?

I had a fun Saturday scrapping. There were different challenges all day on Saturday (sewing on your layout, using specific colors, using not-so-good photographs, using flowers, etc. So these are some of my projects. Hope your weekend was great.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

I know it's hard for some of you to believe this, but today is actually National Scrapbooking Day. Pretty cool. So today, I am going to scrapbook. Well..I'll try.

So it's going to be a quiet weekend for us. Tonight Heath is going on his first "Guys Night Out". He got a call last night. They are all meeting at the theatre to watch RoboMan or Iron Man, or whatever that new movie is. So hope everyone has a great day!

Friday, May 2, 2008

She knows what she wants. Behind this door is our pantry. I keep it locked, because left to their own devices, my children will eat whatever they find. Everyone knows how to unlock it using a coin except Kennedy. Well, that is what I thought anyway. She walked right up to where I was sitting, grabbed a quarter off the table, gives me the most devilish of grins, and walks right over to the door and unlocks it. She opened it with glee.Darn it all! She is a smart cookie. This calls for drastic measures.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Today is my big sister's birthday. Just wanted to send her some love. She is an amazing person. She is the one that keeps our family connected. She is always willing to help out in any way. I wish we lived near each other. I love you Kim!

Why am I organizing a Blanket Drive?

CHD

Feel free to contact me, if you have any questions about congenital heart defects. I'm happy to be of help any way I can.

Wanna contact me?kamyrensmiles@hotmail.com

All photographs, stories, drawings, and whatever else I post on this blog belong to me and may not be used without my permission.

Who am I?

Wife, momma, sister, friend...blah blah blah. I live in a gorgeous mansion with my rockin' husband and my five incredibly well behaved and beautiful children who fill my life with indescribable joy. I love to rearrange my house about as often as I like to eat chocolate and peanut butter. You'll often find me behind the lens of a camera, in my kitchen cooking, in the mountains hiking, watching new movies, sewing, blogging(!), trying to be a runner, eating french fries, or gathering people to play games. We are business owners, church-goers, vacationers, and foodies. Welcome to our family.